OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14352264
HERCULES INC.
BRUNSWICK, GA·
Event description
VINSOL(RESIN) DUST EXPLOSION BURNED EMPLOYEE TO DEATH
Investigation abstract
THREE EMPLOYEES WERE FREEING A CLOGGED VERTICAL BUCKET CONVEYOR. TO ACCOMPLISH T HIS, THEY ENTERED A 4-FOOT-BY-7-FOOT-BY-6-FOOT PIT AND SCOOPED THE VINSOL (RESIN ) AWAY FROM THE BUCKET CONVEYOR WITH A SHOVEL. AN EXTENSION CORD, FITTED WITH A LIGHT, WAS LOWERED INTO THE PIT THROUGH A 21-INCH-BY-21-INCH FLOOR OPENING. THE FLOOR OPENING WAS EQUIPPED WITH A HINGED STEEL DOOR. AFTER THE VINSOL HAD BEEN C LEARED FROM THE BUCKET CONVEYOR, THE EMPLOYEES LEFT THE PIT AND SLAMMED THE STEE L DOOR ON THE EXTENSION CORD. THE RESULTING ELECTRICAL SHORT LED TO A DUST EXPLO SION. THE THREE RECEIVED SECOND AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS OVER 70% OF THEIR BODIES. ONE OF THEM DIED.
Victims (3)
-
#1 Fatality Age 46 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 39 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 29 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.